Committee Members

Welcome to the HS&W Site

Our Mandate

"The Health and Safety and Wellness Committee is committed to providing support and resources to Members and their families in order to establish, build and maintain safe and healthy lifestyles." -- Health, Safety and Wellness Committee

Cell phones and cancer risk

The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.

Dr Jonathan Samet, overall Chairman of the Working Group, indicated that "the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion ... that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk."

2010 H&S Agreement Hydro One and Construction Trades

"An agreement between Hydro One and it's Construction Trades] Unions concerning the engancement of the requirements of Bill 208 – An Act to Amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act for implementation at Hydro One."

New JHSC training standards

New Ministry of Labour (MOL) training standards for Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) Certification take effect on March 1, 2016 and Ontario companies with 20 or more employees are impacted.

Most companies in Ontario with 20 or more employees are required to have a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) that complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). For most, that means having at least two committee members – 1 worker and 1 management representative – certified in health and safety.

The Workers' Day of Mourning

2015 HSW Committee Presentation:

Fellow Members, Friends and Families,

I am grateful and honoured to be allowed to share with you all, a tribute in remembering the Workers Day of Mourning. On April 28, every year, it is a time to remember and reflect on Workers that have died and suffered illness and disease in the workplace.

We join together as workers, friends and families, all across Ontario, across Canada and around the world to remember and give our respect with one minute of silence for workers that have suffered illness and diseases in the workplace... Read more

CUSW On-line Learning Centre

Visit the CUSW on-line learning centre at www.AllianceLearning.ca and use your existing CUSW username and password to enroll. Learn from the comfort of your own home or while passing time in a hotel away from home. There is no cost to Members and you can learn anytime, anywhere, everywhere!

Health & Wellness Course

We believe that every Member has the right to go home safe every day and that we are responsible for our own safety and wellness culture at work, and at home. Complete this course to learn more about the CUSW Health, Safety and Wellness Policy and, more importantly, come to understand the importance of every Member taking a proactive role in owning our safety culture.

Power Sector Benefit Trust

We have truly amazing Benefit and Retirement Plans! In this course, you will learn about the history of the plans as well as how they are managed by Members. You'll also learn how to access information about both plans through our on-line tools.

Annual CUSW Health, Safety & Wellness Conference 2014. On behalf of the Canadian Union of Skilled Worker's National Health, Safety, & Wellness Committee, we invite you as a member to our Annual Conference on Friday and Saturday November 7 & 8, 2014 at the North Campus of the Humber College located at 205 Humber College Boulevard in Toronto, conference Room #T132.

All Members of Canadian Union of Skilled Workers should be aware of a new Regulation under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act ("OHSA") that requires mandatory training for Workers and Supervisors. The CUSW Health, Safety and Wellness Committee encourages all Members complete this online training. More details on the training here.

Health, Safety and Wellness Conference, 2013

Photo above: Attendees of the Health and Safety Conference - 2013

Health & Safety Conference 2013 - Documents:

Health, Safety & Environment and Human Performance Management System "Safety is not a goal; safety is a long struggle with no final conclusive victory"

Recommendations from the HSW Conference

Sunnybrook Needs YOU!

Dear Potential Participant: We are writing to you to ask you to participate in a new study because you may have worked in the past and/or are currently working with electricity.... read more

Is your favourite vegetable a french fry?

Do you have a fast-food breakfast? Do you find your energy fading by early afternoon? Is your biggest meal of the day dinner? Do you drink coffee, or pop more than water?

...Then watch THIS for some GREAT tips on how to keep your energy up all day, EASY breakfast and lunch ideas and lots more. This powerpoint presentation takes a minute to watch and could change your life!

Random Alcohol Testing, ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada, June 14, 2013

"... The Union brought a grievance challenging the mandatory random alcohol testing aspect of a policy on alcohol and drug use that the employer, Irving, unilaterally implemented at a paper mill.

"Under the policy, 10% of employees in safety sensitive positions were to be randomly selected for unannounced breathalyser testing over the course of a year. A positive test for alcohol attracted significant disciplinary action, including dismissal. ..." read the decision

Report on herbicide 2,4,5-T

Beginning in the late 1940s, the herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), was used widely for brush control in Ontario, Canada, and worldwide. In 2011, in response to public concern, the Ontario government formed an independent panel to review 2,4,5-T use, and to evaluate possible health effects....Primary uses of 2,4,5-T included: rights-of-way clearance around power lines by Ontario Hydro .... download report

The National Day of Mourning: Sunday, April 28, 2013

Day of Mourning Presentation:

Fellow Brothers, Sisters, friends and families: I am grateful and honored to be asked to share with you, a presentation for the Workers Day of Mourning.

The workers who have suffered injury, sickness, disease and death in the workplace are never far from our thoughts, but on April 28th we stop as a united workforce to reflect on the tragedies that happen far too often, with two goals in mind:

• One goal is to pay respect to all those who have suffered on the job.

• The other is to stand united in our commitment to improving working conditions and safety for all employees.

We join together as workers, friends and families, all across Canada and around the world, in a minute of silence. A moment of respect that is denied or ignored by some employers.

The WSIB reported for the year 2011 that 436 workers died in the workplace across Ontario and 240,000 workers suffered injuries, illness and disease. In reality these numbers are likely higher when you consider the number of incidents that go unreported or the number of workers that died from diseases, that were mistakenly not attributed to the workplace.

The Day of Mourning allows us to focus on unhealthy and unsafe work conditions, and to promote dignity, respect, and safety. When we examine the safety culture of our employers, we see things such as:

• In the past not providing our members with fire retardant coveralls for their protection. • Incident investigation reports not being shared with our members so that we can discuss lessons learned and prevent similar incidents from happening again. • workers reporting their injuries, but the incident reports do not get documented.

And at the same time:

• Imposing a policy requiring workers to wear gloves 100% of the time in the workplace regardless of the task or risk of injury. • Imposing a policy requiring the wearing of arc flash / fr clothing at all times regardless of the task or risk of burns. • Failing to consult with employees or JH&S Committees before introducing new rules, policies, procedures, tools and PPE to the workplace.

To this end, the Health, Safety and Wellness Committee and all the Health and Safety Reps and Stewards will continue to lobby for a safe and healthy workplace for all our members. Let's continue to remember those who were injured or died on the job each Day of Mourning in an effort to make all workplaces safer for all employees. We will draw knowledge from our past to strengthen our future.

Please take a moment to remember a few of the CUSW members who have suffered tragedies recently: Steven Reilly, Norm Mcghee, Bruce Haliday, Albert Plouard, Pat Graham, Dan Plaxman, Wayne Mashke, Darren Christie.